Does Rapid ReHousing Work? Well, it depends.

Posted by Iain De Jong10sc on July 08, 2015

Seems there is no shortage of conversation and commentary about how rapid rehousing does not work, these days. NPR did a story on it. The Family Options Study findings from HUD paint a not-so-pretty picture. The Urban Institute released research that was a bit more favourable but also raised some flags too. Aside from those, people on the inside in various states have started to see certain trends related to Rapid ReHousing, calling into question what they initially touted as success.

All of this on some level is warranted. And on some level it drives me nuts. Let me explain.

From community to community to community there are different interpretations of what exactly Rapid ReHousing is, and as a result we can be calling something Rapid ReHousing when it really is not. There are no national or international standards. There is no consistent mechanism for evaluating whether one community is doing a Rapid ReHousing intervention, or another community is providing casual housing help with rental assistance.

It is my firm belief that Rapid ReHousing is a particular type of housing intervention. It is supposed to be time limited case management assistance – usually 4-6 months – with co-occurring financial assistance as it is warranted. It is intended for an individual or family with moderate acuity. That means they have a number of medium-level issues in their life or one or two big issues. When connected to community supports and mainstream services (critical to Rapid ReHousing) they stabilize in housing. Rapid ReHousing does not solve poverty. It does not take issues away. It houses and stabilizes.

Recently we released data regarding the SPDAT and various housing interventions. Collected and analyzed independent of OrgCode, it showed 92% of households where the SPDAT was used and moved into Rapid ReHousing were still housed – and this covers a five year period. Less than 69% of people that moved into Rapid ReHousing where the SPDAT was not used stay housed. Was the housing retention rate solely a result of the impact of the SPDAT? No. OrgCode also trained every single provider in each of the 12 test communities on how to deliver Rapid ReHousing in what we believe to be the proper way of doing the intervention. We provided policy and procedures to follow. We connected and did follow-up training. We shadowed staff in all 12 communities while in the field with individuals and families to coach and measure fidelity to practice. There was very limited variation in how the supports were provided. It seems that made a difference.

What do we believe to be the essential elements for Rapid ReHousing to be successful?

Moderate acuity households for the intervention.

Home visits and supports in vivo.

Choice in where the household wants to live relative to the amount of money they have (no choosing an apartment that they are unlikely to afford on their own when the subsidy ends).

Connection to mainstream and community supports from day one in housing.

Strong focus on employment whenever practical and possible from early on in housing.

Objective-based interactions in each engagement.

All goal-setting is related back to housing stability.

Structured, sequential and documented planning.

Crisis planning and risk assessment with each household after housed.

Honest and realistic budgeting with an eye to when the subsidy ends.

Rigorously following the five essential and sequential elements to housing stability.

Following the same philosophy as Housing First, for which you can watch an easy to understand video here.

We are doing ourselves no favours debating whether Rapid ReHousing works or does not work when it is not clear whether or not we are actually talking about the same thing. This is the fundamental apples to apples argument to be made if we are going to discuss whether or not it actually works – or does not. So before we buy into the hype of Rapid ReHousing working or not working, ask yourself what exactly was the service that was being provided. (And as an aside, you might review the methods used to evaluate Rapid ReHousing – there is a reason why the Family Options Study took so long to see the light of day.)

About Iain De Jong

Leader. Edutainer. Coach. Consultant. Professor. Researcher. Blogger. Do-gooder. Potty mouth. Positive disruptor. Relentless advocate for social justice. Comedian. Dad. Minimalist. Recovering musician. Canadian citizen. International jetsetter. Living life in jeans and a t-shirt. Trying really hard to end homelessness in developed countries around the world, expand harm reduction practices, make housing happen, and reform the justice system. Driven by change, fuelled by passion. Winner of a shit ton of prestigious awards, none of which matter unless change happens in how we think about vulnerability, marginality, and inclusion.